Endless Winter: My Camp Upgrades Infinitely Chapter 1305 - 427: Purpose of the Hongmen Martial Arts Competition, Advancement of the Ancestral Ceremony Date (3)
Previously on Endless Winter: My Camp Upgrades Infinitely...
Profits can only emerge from genuine hard work. For us to keep advancing up the leaderboards, the utmost priority lies in flawlessly executing the first-ever Martial Arts Competition of the Three Towns. These prelims and secondaries will stretch over two full months, keeping the city's populace fairly stable in that period. Yet, once August arrives and the rounds wrap up, how many folks decide to stick around in Hongmen hinges entirely on our performance!"
At these words, everyone's faces grew a touch grave, and they nodded with deep solemnity.
Right now, Hongmen stands as Great Xia's sole overseas harbor, acting as the prime entry point for drawing in outsiders. Truth be told, whether foreigners venture deeper into Great Xia largely boils down to their experiences in Hongmen City.
It's only when that spark of curiosity ignites for more that they'll commit to joining Great Xia and integrating fully.
In essence, the lasting image of Hongmen City rests in their hands, so Lin Kai's declaration etched itself firmly into the minds of all seven.
"The true aim of this tournament isn't about picking out prodigies, but speeding up the merger of the Three Towns—and even the Nine Towns—via the martial arts event, while luring more crowds to Hongmen to discover Great Xia, ultimately spurring them to enlist as citizens. Victories or defeats are secondary; what counts is utmost fairness, justice, and transparency, leaving no one doubting the results."
"I'll remain right here in the city for these two months. If anyone dares show nepotism or cheats, no excuses accepted—they'll get booted first, then shipped off to the Xia City Prison main branch for harsh discipline. Got it?"
"Crystal clear, Sir!"
The seven shot to their feet at once, hands clasped in salute, their voices booming in unified resolve.
With prelims and secondaries both unfolding in Hongmen, the referees hail from their Eight Departments naturally. Lin Kai's stern caution stemmed from worries that his team might tilt the scales toward Great Xia's younger fighters.
After collaborating with these associates for ages, Lin Kai knew their characters well. Their earnest replies assured him they grasped the tournament's weight, and his features softened bit by bit.
"Oh, right, Lord Yuan, word is that your fresh approach handles the prelim participant picks this time. Dawn's breaking soon—mind filling us in?"
Curiosity lit up every face, all eyes swiveling toward Yuan Shan instantly.
Yuan Shan of the Hunting Bureau, Mountain Yu, grinned and saluted with cupped hands: "We've got way too many entrants this go-around. To sift them swiftly, we gotta cull the herd in bulk. So, how about a time-trial hunt?"
The prelims run one-and-a-half months, clocking 45 days total. Nightly sessions host roughly 2,500 contenders each. They launch from the South City gate toward Beining Mountain's fringes, track an Intermediate Cold Beast, haul it back. Top 300 speedsters move on to secondaries."
Hearing the prelim setup, Lin Kai and crew's eyes sparkled with excitement.
"What a fresh twist on selection—not half bad!"
"Sounds pretty tough, though. I've eyed the youngsters milling in the city lately; most sit at Earth-digging Realm. Youth bracket especially lacks Cold Resistance Level folks. Sending them after Intermediate Cold Beasts—ain't that risky?"
"No power? Use smarts then. Rules just demand delivering an Intermediate Cold Beast—no limits on how. Teams or solos, all fair game."
"Luck factors in big too. 300 Intermediate Cold Beasts nightly, but Beining outskirts are finite—not enough to go around. Early birds get the edge; latecomers push into Snow Forest depths, ramping up peril and hunt hardship massively."
"Spot on! Mirrors that Xia City Logging Realm trial before. Prelims probe muscle, mind, and fortune alike."
"Bonus: we snag free Cold Beasts too. 300 mids per night over 45 days? That's 13,500 heads."
"Hahaha, no match for 30 million taels, but cushions expenses nicely."
"Post-tourney, Beining Mountain scouting leaps ahead. Three wins with one stroke!"
"Lord Yuan, brilliant work!"
......
Gazing at Yuan Shan, Lin Kai's approval shone through plainly. That pick method of his was sharp indeed—small surprise Li Longkai greenlit it.
Annual martial meets ought to rope in all Eight Departments, yet the Camp Supply Department foots most bills and steers the ship, putting Li Longkai in charge of every competition detail here in Hongmen.
Lin Kai pivoted to Li Longkai, pressing on: "Yuan Shan's blueprint yields about 13,500 advancing, over 5,000 youths and 8,000 adults. Secondaries squeeze into 15 days—what's the matchup style?"
Li Longkai saluted promptly: "No hunts in secondaries. Timed arena bouts for both divisions, five shots per fighter. Quickest 1,000 to string five straight wins claim final spots. Should wrap in 15 days flat."
Lin Kai nodded at that. Timed arenas debuted in Great Xia's sophomore martial event—beats plodding duels for rapid talent sorting.
"Out of these setups, prelims look dicey?"
Li Longkai saluted again, affirming: "Rest easy, Sir. Director Yuan and Commander Liu already hashed it out. Over the prelim's month-and-a-half, Cloud Jiao and Dragon Slayer forces will alternate sweeps on Beining outskirts. One, enforce order for clean play; two, swoop in on dire straits to save lives, curbing heavy losses..."